


When You Wake

by Kiraly



Category: Stand Still Stay Silent
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff without Plot, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2017-10-30
Packaged: 2019-01-26 14:07:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12559052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiraly/pseuds/Kiraly
Summary: Lalli falls asleep in Emil's dream and wakes up on the floor of some Old-World building. At least Emil is there too, even if there's no cake.





	When You Wake

**Author's Note:**

  * For [straightforwardly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/straightforwardly/gifts).



> Hi Straightforwardly! I saw your letter and decided to write you a little treat. It should be more-or-less canon compliant as of page [809](http://sssscomic.com/comic.php?page=809), but since the dream is still going on who knows if it'll get jossed. Whether it does or not, I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Edit: Oops, yep, definitely not canon-compliant anymore. Oh well!

Lalli fell asleep in Emil’s dream and woke in his own body, aching and cold. The air smelled of mildew and smoke, but there was none of the rotten,  _ wrong  _ stench that came with trolls. His eyes cracked open just enough to confirm his suspicion: they were inside some Old World building. Emil must have found enough wood to build a fire, because the orange glow of dying coals suffused the tiny room. Lalli blinked, opened his eyes wider, and realized it wasn’t a small room at all—Emil had made it small by draping fabric over the weird old furniture. Their coats were hanging up too, drying. And then there was Emil.

In the dream, Emil had said something about trying to keep watch. It was clear that he’d tried; he was slumped half-upright against the wall with his weapon in easy reach. But even in the dim light, Lalli could see the exhaustion written on his face. His hair fell over his eyes, and there were shadows that couldn’t be explained away by dim lighting. Sleep had claimed him, and probably would for a while yet. Lalli was tempted to close his eyes and join him.

But now that Lalli was awake, all the bruises and other small injuries from the last few days woke up too, and they made going back to sleep impossible. He sighed and carefully sat up. All of his muscles protested, and for a second his head swam and his vision went dark. Even once it cleared, a dull throbbing from the back of his head joined the rest of his aches and pains. Cautious exploration with his fingers revealed a big lump on his skull.

_ What...happened?  _ His memories from before the dream were...hazy. He remembered fighting off the giant, calling on every last scrap of magic to keep himself and Emil safe. It must have worked, or else Tuonela was a lot different than he’d always been told. As far as he could tell, he still had all the pieces of his soul, and he had no memory of being carried off by a swan. And of course, if he  _ was  _ in Tuonela, Emil wouldn’t be there. His own gods would have claimed him. So the two of them were probably still alive...for now.

But they might not stay that way if they didn’t get moving soon. So Lalli leaned over and poked Emil in the shoulder, then backed away. Nothing. Emil stirred, but stayed asleep. Lalli poked him again, harder, and this time Emil made a tiny grumbling sound. Lalli sighed, rubbed his aching head, and flicked Emil on the nose.

Emil sat bolt upright, eyes wide, and babbled something in Swedish while reaching for his flamethrower. Then he noticed Lalli, and his face lit up.

“Lalli!” More babble, of which Lalli could only understand the words  _ you  _ and  _ me  _ and possibly  _ sleep.  _ Definitely not in a dream, then. Emil nearly fell over in his rush to sit up and reach for Lalli. His hands caught Lalli’s shoulders, and for a second Lalli thought he was going to try to hug him—but then he stopped himself, and settled for smoothing Lalli’s hair instead. 

The gesture released some tension Lalli didn’t realize he’d been holding. He relaxed, and felt Emil relax too. He kept up his chatter, a soothing murmur of words washing over Lalli and filling the small space. One of his hands tucked a strand of hair behind Lalli’s ear, while the other kept patting his arm, as though to make sure he was really there. Most of the time, Lalli would have objected. But in the fragile peace of the moment, in the tiny safe haven Emil had built, it was all right. Emil’s touch grounded him, kept him from slipping away into his dreams. He was real. Emil was real. And together, they would find a way to keep going.

But for now, they needed to rest. If Lalli had been on his own, he might have tried to move along, to scout his surroundings and see about finding a way back to the rest of the crew. But Emil couldn’t walk silently like a scout could. He’d probably attract unwelcome attention by blundering around in the dark. Or by talking, which he was still doing. Persistently. As though he expected Lalli to understand.

“I don’t—” Lalli started to say. But then he realized Emil was saying the same phrase over and over, pointing to his mouth and then to Lalli.

“You...food?” Those words were clear enough, especially when Emil mimed biting something. Lalli nodded. Emil reached for his pack and dug around for a minute before coming up with a packet of dried meat. It was tough and tasteless, especially when Lalli thought of the cake from Emil’s dream, but after he’d eaten some and had some water, he felt better. Emil fed the fire too, and when that was done he fixed Lalli with another questioning look. “Sleep?”

Lalli didn’t need the accompanying gesture—hands under the head like a pillow—to understand that. He shook his head. He’d slept for too long already. Better to stay awake and wait for dawn.

His answer didn’t satisfy Emil. He frowned, then patted the floor by the fire as though he could make it more appealing. “Sleep? No?”

With a sigh, Lalli eased himself down. He wouldn’t sleep but Emil was right—he might as well make himself comfortable. So he pillowed his head on Emil’s lap, ignoring the startled burst of Swedish that followed. It was much nicer than the floor. For all Emil’s muscles, he was still soft enough for this. His eyes softened too, when he got over his surprise. He smiled down at Lalli, and reached to brush the hair away from Lalli’s forehead. 

Lalli allowed himself a small smile as well. There was still so much to decide, and so many questions he had no way of asking. But all of that could wait for dawn. For the time being, he could rest in the comfort of Emil’s presence, Emil’s fingers in his hair, Emil’s stream of nonsense words slowing to a trickle. They would be all right. Somehow.


End file.
